Sad thing is, most of the houses there are out of my reach. Its the Section 8ers in the rentals who usually hurt alot of these older suburbs. And that is NOT an urban legend.
Yes, the older generation who grew up in Irvington could look down on those whose parents stayed in Newark, and now neither of them can go home again. Irvington's probably worse off than Newark, at least Newark's corrupt politicians actually get things done on occasion.
Agreed on Section 8. I haven't had the pleasure of encountering that program up close and personal. Up here, the big backlash against gentrification has come in the last two years because speculators are buying up 2-family rentals to convert to condos, evicting working-class people who paid their rent with their own money. Before that, people didn't like their neighborhoods changing, but it wasn't happening because of eviction or speculation, just normal turnover where older people moved out and "Yuppies" moved in. We did bid up the price of houses when it came on the market but that is true in every town and city near Boston, something a lot of the complainers don't acknowledge.
Are you looking to buy in NJ?
A man with his finger on the pulse!!!!
A friend of mine has a two family house in Morris Park. Instead of putting local families in there who could pay like $1,200 a month or so, he went for Section 8 leeches who he gets like $1,800.00. not only are these bum low class, but they use and absue drugs ect.
His neighbors hate him for it, and rightfully so. I have nothing but disgust for his actions.